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I usually have a healthy diet rich in leafing greens and vegetables, but today is not going to be one of those days.

I have a few favorites that are just loaded with calories and this just happens to be one of them. Sometimes you have to feed the temple.

The recipe is long, so I’ll keep my words short this week. I like to serve this recipe as an accompaniment to a green, leafy salad. It’s rich, filling and, well, quite frankly, it’s fattening. I hope you like it as much as I do.

I like to serve this to my guests with ice cold beer or a glass of red wine. This recipe is worth the extra work and the kids love it.

Have a great week in the kitchen.

Kimberly’s Mozzarella in Carozza

7 ounces mozzarella

4 slices prosciutto (thin Italian ham but salty)

8 two-day old slices white bread (remove crust)

butter for spreading

2-3 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

vegetable oil for deep frying

salt and pepper

Tomato and pepper sauce:

1 onion chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper (cored, de-seeded and chopped)

14-ounce can peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper

4 leaves fresh basil chopped

flat leaf parsley to garnish

First make the sauce: fry the onion and the garlic in oil until soft. Add the bell pepper and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, lemon juice and the seasoning. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Don’t forget to add fresh basil. Cool the sauce a little, then puree or liquidize until smooth and return to a clean pan.

Cut the mozzarella into four slices as large as possible; if the cheese is a square, cut it into eight slices. Trim the prosciutto slices to the same size as the cheese.

Lightly butter the bread and use the cheese and ham to make four sandwiches, pressing the edges firmly together. If desired, they may be cut in half at this stage. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Lightly beat the eggs with the milk and seasoning in a shallow dish.

Carefully dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture until well coated and leave to soak for a few minutes if possible.

Heat the oil in a large pan or deep fryer until it just begins to smoke, or until a cube of bread browns in about 30 seconds. Fry the sandwiches in batches until golden brown on both sides. Drain well on crumpled paper towels and keep warm. Serve the sandwiches hot, with the reheated tomato and pepper sauce, and garnish with parsley.

If you have a question or comment about a recipe in this column, e-mail Kimberly Edwards at kledwards68@yahoo.com. Kimberly also teaches a monthly cooking course; for more information call (608) 399-4349.